ICE to augment security at airports amid partial shutdown

All I can (or should) say is: if you’re flying domestic soon, bring your passport or other proof of legal residency in the U.S. Most Real IDs do not suffice.

To keep politics out, let's look at facts.

To get a "Real ID" you had to show proof of legal residency in the US. So no need to worry about having to prove additonal legal residency.

Next, if you actually read the article, the plan is to supplement TSA agents in areas where an ICE agent could do the job. If you notice there is usually a TSA agent at a podium as you exit airside for landside to make sure you don't come back that way. An ICE agent can do that as there should be no contact with the traveling public.

Additionally, TSA agents are also behind the scenes scanning checked luggage. An ICE agent can do that.

I believe the plan to is move all TSA agents to positions where they deal with the public and ICE agents to positions where they aren't dealing direclty with the public. They have not been trained for this while TSA agents have.

More stupidity ahead of the World Cup and welcoming foreigners. And the Republicans control both chambers so they could pass the funding bill if they choose.

Just bring your ID and passport.

Actually, unless some modifications are made, a funding bill like this one requires 60 votes in the Senate. That's why it hasn't been passed yet.

Most Real IDs do not suffice.

I do not know the requirements for other states, but Washington requires 'proof of citizenship' to get the REAL ID compliant "Enhanced" driver license or ID card

Proof of U.S. Citizenship
You must be a citizen of the United States to apply for a Washington Enhanced driver license (EDL) or Enhanced ID card (EID). You will need to bring documentation of your U.S. citizenship with you.
If possible, pick a document that has your current full legal name. If the document you bring does not have your current legal name, you will need to bring official documents that show any name changes. All documents must be original and cannot be a photocopy.
Select ONE document:
Valid U.S. passport or passport card or
Certified U.S. birth certificate issued by city, county, or state or
U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or
U.S. Certificate of Naturalization or
Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the U.S. Department of State

I did see that in Calif. proof of US citizenship is not required.

Hopefully ICE has a cheat sheet on what each state requires for the "Enhanced" license/ID card.

As acutor notes, not all states use the same criteria, and thus some other document may be needed to document citizenship

I am going to Paris in about 6 weeks, finally.

I do not travel very much so this trip is very important to me.

My first plane leaves at 7 a.m. and I need to check a bag.

I have been so worried about the situation with TSA continuing and even getting worse.

For me, I am glad that ICE is going to be at my airport but I am also bringing my birth certificate along with my passport and Real ID. I have very ethnic features and a very strong working class Boston accent.

Ideally I hope the situation is settled by early May but just in case .....

Only a few states offer the “Enhanced” Real ID.

As for the notion that ICE will have strictly defined rules of engagement for this “operation”, and will scrupulously adhere to them, let’s just say I have my doubts.

I am really dreading my flight tomorrow.

I also do not think this will decrease the time it is taking to go through screening so they will be playing line monitor which strikes me as very scary

You have to know what you’re doing to use those machines, you have to be able to read those images and that takes several months of training. Untrained ice agents are not going to be able to do that if they are allowed to I feel like that would put us in a very dangerous position.

Mr. Homan noted that ICE agents were already in airports, and that they were equipped to cover exits and other areas that T.S.A. workers are now staffing in order to free up agents to do screenings and other functions.

I noticed this at MSP about 2 weeks ago, standing in pairs at the security exit into the terminal. ICE agents also escort prisoners to and from flights and have been for a long time.

FWIW: These ICE agents were wearing off-white slacks and black shirts that said, "Federal Police."

They don't wear masks in the secure area, there must be a rule about that.

Count me among the 40-45% of Americans who fly at least once every year.

Flying is chaotic enough under normal security wait times during the warmer months. If Congress cannot see fit to keep TSA employees on the job, then count me also as a fan of anyone who can get replacements for the absentees.

When I finally decided to get the Real Senior ID about 4 months before the absolute deadline on May 7, 2025 after years of procrastination and inertia by showing up at the DMV in SF with 2-3 pieces of required ID, one of which the passport, that removed the issue of citizenship. At the time I didn't even think of citizenship as an issue, only having source of documentation ,ie the passport, bearing my photo. The best part of the Real ID process in the DMV office was free of charge.

I'll have to go out to SFO to see actually if ICE is there even though SFO has not been afflicted by TSA personnel shortages as those found in many airports. Bottom line: I am glad I don't fly anymore except for Europe trip flights

This has proven to be a 'learning moment".

Until now I hadn't discerned that 'REAL ID" and "Enhanced ID" are different things.
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2025/04/23/real-id-vs-enhanced-id/

The 5 states that do "Enhanced" are :
New York
Michigan
Minnesota
Vermont
Washington

Probably not a coincidence that those states border Canada, as the Enhanced ID works for land & water border crossing where REAL ID does not.

Joe, it's not a coincidence. I have the Enhanced Real ID, and got it with the goal of using it at the Canadian border. However, it is my understanding that Canada is not accepting it at this time and you still need to bring a passport if you cross over the border.

Last time I checked Texas was adding an enhanced driver's license. Canada has dropped the concept so land water crossings to Canada with an enhanced ID are iffy.

It is hard to know for certain but I’d be skeptical this will even be a temporary improvement.

Using ICE as TSA agents will be challenged in court. Under 49 USC 44901, passenger screening can only be done by certified folks. ICE agents lack this. (they can be trained of course.) Also there's a 4th amendment concern. Ice agents mission is immigration duty. Using them at security checkpoints could easily be argued to be running into a warrantless search conflict. Arguments under the adminstrative procedures act are also a problem. So, it may not even survive the first day.

If ICE is just used at the perimeter for things like crowd control, less challengeable— but also not likely to move the needle.

If no temporary restraining order is given by a court and they actually get in place, what makes anybody think they will be particularly effective and good quickly? When I go to Starbucks, I try to avoid the new employees because they are slower and error prone. Maybe in a few weeks they’ll get competent. Meanwhile, I think there will be a lot of uneasy people seeing ICE with a new massive presence at airports.

hence even if they clear the legal issues, not sure this is going to help-- or it may take weeks to help. Meanwhile, when TSA agents miss their next pay check at the end month, real worry more sick calls will be happening.

Anyway, I hope this gets resolved.

Happy travels.

It will be interesting to see where the ICE agents are deployed. Will they be more "behind the scenes" as some have suggested or will they be "customer facing"? And will they be deployed to the airports with the longest lines or to "blue" airports with sanctuary cities? My home airport is Seattle, which to date has not had noticeable TSA delays. I fly out on April 5. Since I'm "tan" I've carried my US passport card at all times since January 2025. I'll carry the full passport on the 5th.

...if you’re flying domestic soon, bring your passport or other proof
of legal residency in the U.S. Most Real IDs do not suffice.

I am confused. TSA.Gov. states that State-issued REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses or identification cards, as well as Enhanced licenses (I have one) and ID cards, are sufficient for US citizens to fly domestically. I've not heard the term "Real ID" applied to any form of ID except those specific licenses/ID cards.

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

Am I missing something?

Hi Kate: I assume the poster above is referring to ICE requirements to avoid immigration detention, which may be different from TSA requirements (I am not sure there’s a difference).

Incidentally https://www.ice.gov/join

Thanks Toby. I'm still confused, though. If you have a Real ID license or card from your state's department of motor vehicles (or equivalent) why wouldn't it "suffice" for domestic flights? Isn't that mainly what it's for?

Took a bit of digging but finally got to this:

Examples of valid documents
These include, but are not limited to:
birth certificate
certificate of citizenship or naturalization
certificate of Indian status along with photo identification
US enhanced drivers license
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html#us_citizens

At least in theory an "Enhanced" DL should do the job for land/sea crossing

If there is something more current, I did not see it.

1. Having ICE agents help where they are qualified to help and legally allowed to help, wont hurt, may improve things to some degree. Better than doing nothing.

2. Real ID or Enhanced Real ID or passport; does not matter and all are acceptable for demonstrating citizenship.

3. Congress needs, I believe, 6 more votes to reinstate funding.

There's a complete list of currently acceptable identification documents on the TSA.gov site linked above. Call me crazy but I figure info on an official government website would generally be credible?

Homan on ICE at airports: "ICE can check identification before people enter the screening area"

Is this a pre-identification check or a substitute/replacement of the identification check TSA does?

If the latter, they are not certified. If the former, this is slower not faster. Is there really a plan? Having extra untrained people show up without a plan is often not particularly useful.

And I wonder if ICE shows up en masse at airports (assuming they survive court challenge) if anybody is going to protest their presence? That too is unlikely to speed time through TSA I daresay.

Hope this gets resolved soon.

Happy travels

From what I have read there are:
1) 'standard' driver license/ ID cards ( these are NOT REAL ID compliant)
2) REAL ID compliant driver license /ID cards (NOT proof of citizenship)
3) ENHANCED driver license / ID cards ( Proof of US citizenship)

Washington issues #1 & #3 ( https://dol.wa.gov/id-cards/real-id )

Everyone is going to have to check for what their state issues.

And this is a case where semantics matter. The terms are not interchangeable

An "Enhanced" ID is REAL ID compliant. So #2 & #3 will get you on a domestic US flight.

Enhanced ID is also supposed to work for surface entry to Mexico and Canada (and back to USA)

joe32F By golly, you are correct; always feel free to call me on my errors. I live and learn. The REAL ID is not proof of US Citizenship. But while I find that the Enhanced Real ID does show up as proof in some searches, it is omitted in others. But I feel pretty comfortable that anyone being polite, professional and cooperative will have no problem if they present the Enhanced Real ID a proof of US Citizenship; since its used as a border crossing card. The guys checking are just working stiffs like the rest of us.

BUT DO NOTE: You do not need proof of US citizenship to fly domestically. A Real ID is sufficient or any of this stuff: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification Joe32F, am I correct?

Of course this is sort of a non-issue because no one is going on a RS Tour to Europe without a Passport … So, everyone here traveling to Europe or Asia or anywhere else in the world outside of Domestically, Mexico and Canada and a few Caribbean locations is going to be covered and we are arguing about nothing (but fascinating to know the truth).

One list of what you need to prove US citizenship is https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/citizenship-evidence.html:

• A U.S. Birth Certificate
• A U.S. Passport
• Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
• Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) (Form FS-240)
  

BUT DO NOTE AGAIN: You do not need proof of US citizenship to fly domestically. A Real ID is sufficient or any of this stuff: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification Joe32F, am I correct?

Here is a funny incident a while back. I grew up near the Mexican border and we crossed often. Back in the day a drivers license was all you needed. Then about 7 years ago I invited a friend to go to the valley with me, and we crossed over into Mexico. I had my drivers license and she had her passport issued a country designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the U.S. Department of State since 1984. She had no problems coming back. I walked through the auto entry search area and found a guard, explained my ignorance and showed my drivers license and my Global Entry Card (not proof of citizenship on any list). The guard laughed at me and walked me to the gate. “Don’t do it again”.

Kate, the person who wrote about bringing an additional form of ID stated their opinion. It is not fact.

All you need to go through TSA security is a Real ID or another acceptable form of federal ID such as a passport or a passport card.

There is a lot of opinion being written on this thread that is not based on fact.

As the article states, if ICE is deployed, they will be there to supplement TSA and not take over their duties. They will not be deployed everyone. Only to those airports that have major delays.

I'm still not sure ICE agents will actually appear at these airports. Quite a bit of what the government says it's going to do one day, changes the next day.

Frank II part of the confusion is built around paranoia. People have been convinced to believe that if ICE is watching the exits at the airport that they will also be checking citizenship and if you can’t prove citizenship, on the spot, that you will be on your way to a prison in El Salvador.

Proof of US Citizenship is not a requirement to fly domestically, which is why the Real ID works at the airport on domestic flights. It does demonstrate, if I am not wrong again, that at the date of issuance you were in the US legally and that is sufficient for domestic travel ... as is a passport.

IF you are afraid that you will be singled out and deported by the ICE agent watching the back door, then bringing your passport should take care of that issue.

Again, I doubt anyone on this forum doesnt have a passport, so why are we discussing this?

Our collective domestic paranoia is starting to make prison in El Salvador look relatively enticing.

Last time I checked Texas was adding an enhanced driver's license. Canada has dropped the concept so land water crossings to Canada with an enhanced ID are iffy.

According to the info on this page, it looks like the Enhanced License still works for Canada.

Asking out of curiosity, will the TSA staff eventually receive the pay they are owed for the time they have been working during this freeze period?
Are ICE being paid or are they also working for ‘free’?

"Our collective domestic paranoia is starting to make prison in El Salvador look relatively enticing."

And our collective fantasies about what is actually happening have me inclined to agree with you.

Quite a bit of what the government says it's going to do one day,
changes the next day.

Good point Frank.

Let's see how this all plays out and hope it resolves quickly.

Happy travels

Emma

Ice is fully funded and Ice Agents are paid

TSA Agents will be paid when Homeland Security is once again funded. Last time, I believe they also got. a bonus but the problem is that they do not make very much money to begin with and the bills need to be paid.

I do not believe that anyone can set up a GoFundMe Page but Elon Musk is offering to pay them.

I have no paranoia about Ice Agents in the airport. I am concerned about missing my 7 am plane because TSA Agents are backed up.

Ice Agents do not have enough expertise or experience to screen fliers.

People have been convinced to believe that if ICE is watching the exits at the airport that they will also be checking citizenship and if you can’t prove citizenship, on the spot, that you will be on your way to a prison in El Salvador.

Mr. E, I get that, but it doesn't help that the president said on social media after this was announced that agents would “do security like no one has ever seen before,” which would include “the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our Country.”

As Frank said, the government says a lot of things that don't come true, and it could certainly have just been some rhetoric that was designed to make a point rather than implement policy. But I think that's why people are getting nervous about it.

Emma, to answer your question about the workers getting paid: I have been through this, I was a career specialist at SSA and went through the two shutdowns in 1995, during which SSA (among others) was declared essential. After all shut-downs are re-opened and re-funded (not refunded!) all workers who as essential employees are made to work without pay are always made whole and paid for all their time. To the extent that anyone who did not come in was also paid and to charged sick or personal leave hours, as essential employees they were not allowed to take leave. And amazingly, as this happened at the end of the year, a time where employees had scheduled time off in order to use their use-or-lose personal hours (you cannot carry over 240 hours into the next year, they are lost), employees who knew they would be paid took off as planned and had their excess leave reinstated due to the concept that they did not have the opportunity to use their excess hours, even though they flaunted the rules and did not come in. So they got paid for not being in and kept their excess personal hours. My jaw dropped when I heard about that last one.

Mardee, you are correct. But if you and i get into the conversation we will both get tossed from the forum ... but in total agreement.

I will stretch it far enough to say I trust 98% the guys in the field to br competent but realize the press will only report on the other 2%.

Let's see if one news agency shows up at one airport to evaluate and report on what the unpaid stiffs behind the counters and the ICE helpers are doing to keep the lines moving.

Oh, I think they'll show up at Portland PDX. The betting pool has Portland high on the Priority list, no matter what is being said.

https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2026/03/trump-border-czar-says-hell-install-ice-agents-at-airports-with-long-waits-what-about-pdx.html

White House border czar Tom Homan pledged on Sunday morning news shows to have “a plan by the end of today” for which airports the government would dispatch ICE agents to. Homan said he’d like to prioritize “the large airports where there’s a long wait, like three hours.”

...The Portland airport has not seen travel impacts from the government shutdown, McEvoy said. She said security wait times have been normal, despite an uptick in passengers. TSA lines for general boarding passengers took less than 15 minutes to navigate on Sunday afternoon, according to flypdx.com.

As a Canadian living in Canada, I want to say that I sympathise greatly with all the sane people in the u s that all this nonsense is being perpetrated upon you.
Reading about all the different forms of id has me totally baffled.
I have a “tanned” look and some distant family in the past from “other” countries.

One thing that occurred to me is that anyone seeing friends and family off at an airport as of tomorrow should not.
Please stay home.
Let your person go alone to the airport.
It seems that ice is going to be “guarding” doors into your airports and can stop anyone who looks at them the wrong way, or looks “wrong” in their minds.

Let it be over soon.
Ban me from here if you want……just know that other countries fear for you all.

According to the info on this page, it looks like the Enhanced License still works for Canada.

Annie, you were going to go to the Baudette crossing and test your enhanced DL last spring to see if it still worked— did you?

Toby, I remember there was a thread about this last year because we were talking about it. I found a couple of posts on Reddit that said that Canadians were not really accepting the enhanced ID. At one point I was going to go up and try it out, but bring my passport just in case, but I just didn't have a chance to. Maybe I'll do that once the weather gets a little nicer.

Mardee:

We’re driving to Vancouver via Alberta (crossing maybe @ North Portal) so can test it also, but July.

Mardee, point taken. Previous post deleted.
I'm glad we agree!

Thanks for the answers.
I’m very glad they will eventually get paid and even more glad that I work for my government and not yours! :-)

Emma:

It’s complicated. During these federal lapses federal employees fall into 3 categories:

Exempt
Essential
Non-exempt (saying “non-essential” is a non-starter)

Also need to identify that there are 2 things required for federal service: funding + authorization to work (these are usually in separate acts of Congress, although if it’s a continuing resolution then it’s temporarily in a single bill).

Exempt staff work as usual because they have maintained funding and authorization to work. Nobody talks about them but they are always around during every lapse. In this case ICE and CBP staff are exempt.

Essential employees have lost either funding or authorization to work but are required to work anyway, and without immediate pay. TSA screeners fall into this category.

Non-exempt staff are furloughed but eventually get back pay for time not worked. This is the sweet category.

It’s common to have staff in all 3 categories in the same federal office.

Imagine the work involved in creating and sending individual letters to each furloughed and essential employee, then coding timesheet hours for all these special situations, then undoing it later.

I see some contributions about whether an enhanced ID is enough to get into Canada. My husband and I traveled to Vancouver BC in February and crossed the border in and out at the Blaine crossing. Our enhanced ID was all that was required both directions. (Full confession: we are still at little nervous about it, so we took our passports.) We are flying out tomorrow and have no concerns about anything at the airport. (we are getting there a little earlier than usual).

I can't find anything on the Canadian government website about the Enhanced ID. Here are the rules for entering by land or sea.

US citizens
To prove your identity and citizenship, regardless of age, the CBSA recommends travelling with a valid passport. However, you may also present documents that show your:
full name
date of birth
citizenship
If one document doesn't include all of this information, you can use a combination of documents.
If your proof of citizenship does not include a photo, you may be asked to provide a separate photo ID.

If you enter through an airport it must be a passport.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html#us_travellers

Politics aside, this is very important information for people to have, to be aware and prepared. I think the topic fits well with the Transportation section as it will impact travel.
Honestly, I believe untrained ICE agents working "as/on behalf/assisting" TSA agents will slow things down, not make it faster in my opinion.
I agree that those who are not traveling and may not wish to encounter ICE agents, should stay in their cars to say their goodbye or to pick-up arrivals.
I got my REAL ID as soon as it was launched, before all the extensions so I've had it for a bit. I only carry my passport if traveling abroad. I also have CLEAR and at the end of last year, for some reason, my ID was not scanning properly. Agent asked if I had my passport on hand. Nope. It was a domestic flight. He had to figure it out with my ID.

Will be watching the news tomorrow to see what kind of consequences arise. Just saw your eminently qualified border czar who affirmed that ICE agents will be in US airports starting tomorrow. Supposedly only to "assist" TSA agents. This "expert" further claimed that ICE agents are all highly skilled and trained and will have no problem fulfilling all of their duties within the airports with less than 24 hrs notice and no additional training.. Uh huh. And will they also be masked, armed, and unidentified, as they currently are? Fascinating to see how the minds of your government work. ICE remains fully funded, but TSA agents are forced to work for no pay. Where I come from, we have a name for forced labour.

To prove your identity and citizenship, regardless of age, the CBSA recommends travelling with a valid passport. However, you may also present documents that show your:
full name
date of birth
citizenship
If one document doesn't include all of this information, you can use a combination of documents.
If your proof of citizenship does not include a photo, you may be asked to provide a separate photo ID.
Examples of valid documents
These include, but are not limited to:
birth certificate
certificate of citizenship or naturalization
certificate of Indian status along with photo identification
US enhanced drivers license

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html#us_citizens

Elon Musk has offered to pay the TSA Agents.

Is anyone going to take him up on his offer?

Also saw on TV news that at least one airport has set up a box where passengers can leave gift cards for TSA. You can not give Agents cash or gifts but you can leave gift cards in the box that has been established.

I do not know if this box has been set up at all the airports or just the one.

bostonphil7, the gift card idea is wonderful. TSA are just working stiffs like the rest of us.

Elon Musk has offered to pay the TSA Agents.

And what will he get out of that deal?!